Didi Gregorius

The Diamondbacks chose Chris Owings over Gregorius as the team's primary shortstop to begin the 2014 season, but Gregorius entered the mix in June after hitting .310/.389/.447 at Triple-A Reno. Defens...

Many scouts said Gregorius was a weak bat, and early on, that didn't appear to be the case (he went deep in his first at-bat as a Diamondback against the Yankees). His hot April and May eventually cooled and he became the hitter most expected, finishing the season with a .252 average and .332 OBP. While he is a potential trade candidate given the D-Backs' organizational depth in the middle infield, his glove will assure him playing time regardless of where he's playing in 2014. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, it's difficult to project an overwhelming improvement from his 2013 numbers at the plate.

2013

The line on Gregorius remains the same - he has a fantastic glove that the scouts love, but it's up for debate whether his bat will be good enough to carry in a major league starting lineup. The game has evolved to emphasize defense more, so there's a chance yet that Gregorius could make it, but many were surprised when the D-Backs were willing to deal Trevor Bauer away in December to acquire him. It's believed that he will get more time at Triple-A to continue the development of his bat, but the trade should significantly accelerate his timetable to the big leagues. Despite his range in the field, Gregorius is not proficient on the basepaths, having stolen just three bases against nine attempts in the minors last year.

2012

Gregorius hasn't done a whole lot at the plate in his professional career. His .790 OPS at High-A last year was at an extreme offensive environment in Bakersfield. Otherwise, his career OPS has hovered around .700. He just turned 22 in February, so there's time for his bat to catch up to his glove, which is superb. He's about a year-and-a-half away from getting tested at the major league level. He's there as glove-first insurance in case Zack Cozart can't cut it at the position.